shaping a better maritime future - anglo-eastern group
TRANSCRIPT
www.angloeastern.com
4SDGs: Shaping a better maritime future
16AEMA: Celebrating 10 years of excellence
22The ‘Write’ Stuff: Introducing Anglo-Eastern’s seafaring literary talent
December 2019Issue 16
Shaping a better maritime future
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FORE
WOR
D FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK
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Published by Anglo-Eastern Univan Group
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Dear Readers, Our last issue was distinguished by milestones. As we approach year-end, the ‘theme’ of this issue seems to be anniversaries. Ten years ago, Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy opened its doors in Karjat (see our AEMA anniversary profile on p. 16), while Anglo-Eastern Ukraine was established in Odessa (p. 19). Fifteen years ago, Anglo-Eastern Latvia was set up in Riga (p. 13). Twenty-five years ago, Anglo-Eastern took on the MV Federal Polaris, thus commencing our long-standing partnership with Fednav, which is incidentally celebrating its 75th anniversary this year (p. 30). From our executive management team, CEO Bjorn Hojgaard discusses the importance of courage (p. 3), especially in terms of having the courage to do the right thing and as it relates to safety issues, which coincidentally (or not) dovetails nicely with Executive Chairman Peter Cremers’ message on the need to continuously improve our safety performance and culture (p. 2). Besides the above and the usual fare, we have a few special features and key updates, including an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at our recent Sustainable Development Goals film project (p. 4), which we were excited to unveil in September. If you haven’t watched it already, please do so. It’s a great clip that puts the spotlight on our core beliefs, values and people, featuring unscripted, candid interviews that drive home what it means to be a part of Anglo-Eastern. Also in September, we proudly announced our founding membership of the then newly launched Getting to Zero Coalition (p. 9), as well as the formation of a new LNG ship management JV in conjunction with EXMAR Ship Management (p. 11). Three of our published crew authors are also showcased in this issue’s special Crew Focus entitled ‘The Write Stuff’ on p. 22 (yes, we like our punny headlines!). On the sports front, Anglo-Eastern was gripped by cricket fever both on land and at sea (p. 26), while
shore staff in Hong Kong and Europe took to the water in dragon boats and stand-up paddle boards (p. 28) in some sort of temporary reverse transfer from shore to sea, but strictly for competition or recreational purposes! Regarding our in-house PICTURE THIS photo competition, we are delighted to announce the following three winners. All took such amazing photographs that, for the first time, we have decided to declare all three as equal winners: • FRONT COVER | This simple but beautifully filtered
shot was taken by O/S Paul Tan, overlooking his ship’s mooring station upon arrival at the Port of Houston. We love the richness and contrast of the colours at play, plus the many details that pop out in what is otherwise a standard shipboard scene.
• BACK COVER | Anglo-Eastern Hong Kong’s Joost Vandenbroucke took this curious photo that appears to show crew members lining up to jump overboard, and in a way they are – as part of lifeboat boarding practice, that is! Typically organised once a month while at sea, the safety training requires crew to rehearse boarding procedures and undertake lifeboat familiarisation.
• INSIDE FRONT | This striking photo was captured by 2/O Vinit Dsouza on board the MV Baltic Mantis. It shows the grab of a crane being lowered into position over the hopper, under the watchful eye of a stevedore. Unlike the two other winning entries, this photo is dark and heavy with character, revealing only a touch of sunlight and colour, but with stunning, dramatic effect.
Congratulations to our winners, and as always, keep up the amazing photography and submissions! Given that this is our last issue of the calendar year, I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all an advance Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year. From all of us at Anglo-Eastern to all of you both ashore and at sea, happy holidays and best wishes for a safe and successful 2020!
Melissa OttoEditor, LeaderShipGroup Communications Manager
CONTENTS | December 2019GETTING TO ZERO COALITION LAUNCHED WITH ANGLO-EASTERN AS FOUNDING MEMBER
9
AEMA: CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
16
THE ‘WRITE’ STUFF: INTRODUCING ANGLO-EASTERN’S SEAFARING LITERARY TALENT
22
SDGs: SHAPING A
BETTER MARITIME FUTURE
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CONTENTS
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GROUP Chairman’s Message | Safety first 2CEO’s Message | Courage 3SDGs: Shaping a better maritime future 4Getting to Zero Coalition launched with Anglo-Eastern as founding member 9Anglo-Eastern partners with The Baltic Exchange for new OPEX index 10Introducing AEX LNG Management 11Boskalis/BKW host crew seminars in Manila 12Anglo-Eastern Latvia celebrates 15th anniversary with Boskalis heavy-lift crew seminar 13What a gem! Peter Cremers named “Jewel of Shipping” 14Anglo-Eastern awarded for 15 years of AMVER support 15AEMA: Celebrating 10 years of excellence 16Anglo-Eastern Ukraine celebrates 10th anniversary 19
PEOPLE AECMP Manila goes Hawaiian for BBQ beach party 20AEUK student cadets sweep awards for academic/training excellence 21The ‘Write’ Stuff: Introducing Anglo-Eastern’s seafaring literary talent 22Cricket fever grips Anglo-Eastern 26Anglo-Eastern shore staff take to the water 28
TECHNICAL Fednav celebrates 75 years of delivering a higher standard and navigating complexity 30MV Nunavik gains first Ukrainian master 31Meet the fleet 32
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CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
Safety firstNot just a workplace slogan.
unique spirit of ‘getting the job done’, and at times they put this ahead of safety concerns. But getting the job done goes hand in hand with doing things safely. Now, statistics-wise, the year is still young, and we do seem to be heading towards a much safer one, particularly in terms of serious accidents. That is good news. We have taken various initiatives, and it is always rewarding to see these bear results.
My only hope is that you will all continue to work hard to ensure these improvements are not ‘freak’ improvements, but intentional, proven and part of a consistent trend over the course of the year. This Executive Chairman would like to be able to go to the next Global Maritime Forum in October 2020 with some very significant data in hand that we, at Anglo-Eastern, have made meaningful improvements towards the safety of our people on board our ships.
The tools and communication channels are there for you to use. Please use them. Unsafe acts must be prevented if you see them, and vessel managers must be told of any unsafe hardware or layouts on board your ships. Remember, these are OUR ships.
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Incidentally, the topic of collisions with fishing boats and the unacceptable high number of resulting casualties was raised as an industry ‘inconvenient truth’. Thus far, we have no more than identified the issue, so at this point all I can request is increased vigilance. Looking outside the bridge window rather than always staring at the radar might help, I was told.
In the meantime, forum participants have agreed to look into an industry-wide approach and solution on how to address commercial shipping and fishing so that they can have a safer co-existence on our seas. Let “safety first” not just be a workplace slogan or stencilled reminder on the wall. It needs to be part of our mindset. I know it, and I know that you know it, so let’s all work together even harder on building a safety culture that we can be proud of.
Peter CremersExecutive Chairman
We recently returned from the Global Maritime Forum, which was held in Singapore this year. Most of the discussions were focused on the decarbonisation of our industry, a topic that requires urgency if we really want to meet the targets of a 50% reduction by 2050 in spite of growing trade. (Our own Anglo-Eastern Technical Services has some very specific ideas and is working on several initial design concepts, by the way.)
But the safety initiative that forum participants have been underwriting for the past year, aimed at moving our industry towards zero accidents, produced decidedly less spectacular results, focusing instead on a comparison of notes between participants and discussions on how to continue improving overall safety statistics. And improvements are still required.
Whilst I hope there is no doubt about this, let me nevertheless bring it back home by re-emphasising the deep commitment that all of us here at the Anglo-Eastern executive level have towards safety. Furthermore, when we say that one accident is one too many, we mean it.
Ships are intrinsically hazardous environments. People at sea have this
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Next time you are faced with a situation where you know that taking the easy way out will make you feel bad afterwards, think for an extra second and make a deliberate choice to do better. That’s real courage. Done repeatedly, it will make you a better person, one who people will look up to. It will bring you self-respect, and ultimately, it will make you successful.
We all need courage. Happy hunting in the search for yours!
Capt. Bjorn HojgaardChief Executive Officer
Courage is not to be judged in the eyes of other people. It’s an inner yardstick, one that each one of us decides for ourselves.
Do you speak up and speak out when you see people around you bullying or being abusive? Do you correct a wrong even if it’s not the popular choice?
Do you have the guts to be assertive with people more senior than yourself, or do you bite your tongue in fear of reprisal? Will you call out danger for your colleagues when you perceive it, or do you keep quiet out of embarrassment?
Do you meet your own yardstick for upright behaviour? Can you look yourself in the mirror and say you gave it all you had? Even when the choice was hard?
Are you decent enough to apologise to your colleagues, family or friends when you have done them wrong? Can you muster the courage to dig deep and admit when you have made a mistake, even if it’s hard?
Do you do the right thing at 3 o’clock in the morning, when no one is looking? Are you a person of true integrity?
If your answer to these questions is ‘yes’, then congratulations! You are on the right track and should be able to live up to your full potential. If your answer to any of these questions is ‘no’, don’t fret. It’s never too late. We all have it in us to find the courageous version of ourselves. It may involve short-term pain, but it often provides long-term gain.
neglected nonetheless. Because we did not have the courage.
Making that poor choice makes us feel shameful and gutless. It leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths, disappointed with ourselves. It makes us smaller human beings, which in turn prevents us from fulfilling our potential.
The good news is that courage, or the lack thereof, is not part of our DNA. It’s not something we are born with. Courage is a choice. And since your last choice does not dictate your next choice, we all have it in us to be courageous in the face of adversity.
Curiously, courage is normally easiest to muster for the big decisions in life. That’s when we take a deep breath, think long and hard, and make the right choice, governed by our belief system.
It’s often when we make smaller decisions that courage escapes us. When the consequences seem unimportant, we forget to search deep in ourselves for what the right thing to do is, and we make the easy choice, the coward’s choice. So, counterintuitive it may seem, but it’s especially important to be able to muster courage when things appear trivial. After all, the ‘small stuff’ adds up.
Such a small word. So much impact.
CEO’S MESSAGE
CourageCourage is much more than bravery. Bravery is the ability to confront pain, danger or attempts of intimidation, without any feeling of fear. Courage, on the other hand, is the ability to undertake overwhelming difficulty or pain despite the presence of fear.
Courage is an indispensable leadership quality. It is the choice that enables us to ‘do the right thing’, even when we have to make difficult decisions. More than a quality, it is a state of mind driven by a cause that makes the struggle worth it.
Unlike in the case of bravery, a person driven by courage may feel inescapably small in the face of peril, pain or problems. The essence of courage is not the feeling of being capable of overcoming obstacles, but rather the wilful choice to fight regardless of the consequences and limitations.
Simply put, it’s the pursuit of duty over delay. It’s the end of procrastination and laziness. It’s proactive accountability. It’s ownership, in the truest sense of the word.
We have all tried it: Made choices and acted in a way that was incongruent with our values and beliefs, simply because it was the easy way out. Because it was too hard to make the courageous choice – the one that we knew was right, but which we
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Earlier this year, work began in earnest on an exciting new film project that Anglo-Eastern had committed itself to some months back. Aimed at showcasing business stories from around the world in relation to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the project is part of an ongoing online campaign launched by London-based TBD Media.
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To best capture Anglo-Eastern’s narrative in relation to its heritage and SDGs in the areas of employment, education, gender equality, climate action and the environment, Hong Kong, Mumbai and Karjat were selected as filming locations, supported by a number of candid conversations with management, crew and cadets.
Driving the project for Anglo-Eastern was Melissa Otto, Group Communications Manager, who together with AEMTC Mumbai’s Francis Akkara and the TBD Media team arranged near back-to-back filming in all three locations, encompassing six days’ worth of more than a dozen filmed conversations and hours of supplementary B-roll footage.
In Hong Kong, stunning drone footage was captured in and around the city’s busy container terminal at Kwai Chung, while CEO Bjorn Hojgaard’s segment was filmed on board one of our managed container ships berthed there. For contrast, Executive Chairman Peter Cremers was filmed against a backdrop of the city’s iconic Victoria Harbour.
In India, filming was primarily confined to the Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre (AEMTC) in Mumbai and the Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy (AEMA) in Karjat in order to showcase our acclaimed training facilities, including state-of-the-art simulators, expansive machine workshops and virtual reality training, plus more.
Shaping a better maritime future
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
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From the extensive raw footage, an impressive first edit was delivered over the summer. This was tweaked and fine-tuned until what we have now – an inspiring 8-minute clip that perfectly captures what Anglo-Eastern is all about, both visually and as proudly told by our people in a series of skilfully pieced together unscripted conversations.
Hosted on TBD Media’s YouTube page and new dedicated campaign hub at www.17SustainableDevelopmentGoals.org, the film project was shared with all Anglo-Eastern shore staff, crew, press contacts and social media profiles in mid-September to overwhelmingly positive reactions, such as the following:
• “Well worth watching. An informative, beautifully produced insight into what goes on @angloeasterngrp and the impressive people behind the scenes making it happen.” – Jon Chaplin, formerly of TradeWinds
• “What a lovely informative video especially for a mother whose son has just started his cadetship with you in Glasgow. I know he will be well looked
after in the Anglo-Eastern family with great training & an amazing experience ahead of him.” – Shona Coull, parent of a cadet
• “What a fantastic video. I’m impressed. Happy to see female cadets being interviewed too. I hope Manisha Mishra would sail in one of our vessels and I would really love to meet her too.” – Anglo-Eastern client
• “Nice work! It is a super hit already. Making us all proud to be in this great family.” – Anglo-Eastern managing director
• “The video is beautiful! Thank you for weaving together an amazing story from shore to the sea. Kudos!” – Ashish Panhalkar, film participant
Said Ms Otto soon after the film project’s official release: “This was such an amazing project to be a part of and drive, and it’s even better now that the film has been widely broadcasted so that everyone can watch it and hear what our management, crew and cadets have to proudly say about Anglo-Eastern. Spoken
from the heart in their own unscripted words, their messages are truly inspiring. Thanks to everyone on both sides of the cameras who were involved in the project. We couldn’t have done it without you!”
If you have yet to watch Anglo-Eastern’s SDG story, you can view it and the introductory text here at www.17sustainabledevelopmentgoals.org/shaping-a-better-maritime-future-with- anglo-eastern.
Did you know? • Over 15 hours of raw footage was captured over a period of 6 days• Filming was primarily conducted at 6 sites across 3 locations in
2 countries•Morethan12Anglo-Easternshorestaffandcrewwerefilmedforthe
project• The decision to feature Capt. and Mrs Varma and their son was a
spontaneous one made at the last minute whilst aboard the ship, thus allowing no time for preparation
• Mahesh Subramanian, another very late addition to the ‘cast’, was filmedinasingletakewithminimalpreparationunderexceptionallyhot,sunnyconditions–remarkable!
•AshishPanhalkarisaproudAEMAgraduatefromtheacademy’sfirst batch of Diploma in Nautical Science cadets (DNS 01)
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About the SDGsAs a firm believer in leading with integrity and progressively setting the standard, with a vision to shaping a better maritime future, Anglo-Eastern has long embraced a number of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals before they came to be known as such.
From supporting economic growth through offering steady employment and careers (SDG #8), and providing quality education and training (SDG #4) via its pre-sea academy and network of post-sea training centres, to embracing equal opportunities and gender equality (SDG #5), and cleaner and green practices (SDG #12-14), Anglo-Eastern is proud to uphold not just a couple, but several SDGs.
“’Shaping a better maritime future’ is not just a tagline. At Anglo-Eastern, it’s what
drives us to do what we do as seafarers, as ship managers, as members of the maritime community, and importantly, as part of this blue planet we call home,” said CEO Bjorn Hojgaard.
Speaking about the campaign hub, TBD Media added: “The 17 Sustainable Development Goals Hub will be a home for the stories shaping the world of today and tomorrow, enabling businesses, NGOs and governments to voice their commitment to the sustainable development of society, and engage in open, productive dialogue with all of their stakeholders.”
For more information on the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, visit the official site at www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals.
Acknowledgements
SpecialthankstoAnglo-EasternprojectleadMelissaOtto;totheco-ordinatorsandfilmparticipants(bothsubjectandbackground)atAnglo-EasternHongKong,AEMTCMumbaiandAEMA;totheTBDMediateamanditsworkingpartners;andtoModernTerminals and the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, amongst others.
Thanksalsotoourincrediblecast,inorderofappearance:• PeterCremers,ExecutiveChairman• BjornHojgaard,ChiefExecutiveOfficer• ManishaMishra,ThirdOfficer,AEMAGraduate,Classof2015• Naval Shaiva, Chief Engineer• AnshikaSingh,AEMACadet,Classof2019• Capt.AnkurVarma,Master• Mrs Anchal Varma• Joel Pinto, Third Engineer, AEMA Graduate, Class of 2012• FrancisAkkara,Vice-Principal,Anglo-EasternMaritime
Training Centre• AshishPanhalkar,SecondOfficer,AEMAGraduate,Classof
2010• Mahesh Subramanian, Vice-Principal, Anglo-Eastern Maritime
Academy• DhruvHans,AEMACadet,Classof2019Atrueteameffort!#OneTeam
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Getting to Zero Coalition launched with Anglo-Eastern as founding member
CLIMATE ACTION
This September, Anglo-Eastern was proud to confirm its founding membership of the then newly launched Getting to Zero Coalition, an alliance of committed business leaders and decision-makers for the decarbonisation of international shipping by 2030.
Spearheaded by the Global Maritime Forum, Friends of Ocean Action, and the World Economic Forum, the coalition comprises around 80 public- and private-sector members, amongst which Anglo-Eastern is honoured to stand on this critical issue.
The Getting to Zero Coalition follows the UN International Maritime Organization’s strategy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but with an even more ambitious “moon-shot” goal – to get commercially viable deep-sea zero-emission vessels powered by zero-emission fuels into operation by 2030.
“By joining the Getting to Zero Coalition, we are further committing ourselves to the cause, lending additional credence and direction to our efforts, whilst also aligning ourselves with like-minded organisations for a higher purpose and greater good,” said CEO Bjorn Hojgaard.
The Getting to Zero Coalition was launched in conjunction with the UN Climate Action Summit in New York on September 23. Further information on the coalition, its ambition statement and membership can be found at www.globalmaritimeforum.org/getting-to-zero-coalition.
#GettingtoZeroCoalition #ClimateAction#Decarbonization #2030Ambition
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companies are also expected to join the panel over time.
“The Baltic Operating Expense Index is intended to provide transparency to the fluctuations in running costs. Daily operating costs are one of the variables used by shipping investors to calculate the profitability and residual value of their assets,” explained Mark Jackson, Chief Executive of The Baltic Exchange.
“We already provide independent freight, sale and purchase, and recycling assessments. With the addition of operational expenses assessments, shipping investors now have a complete toolkit to manage their risk and aid their decision process.”
The Baltic Operating Expense Index (BOI) will track the daily USD cost of operating vessels for the benefit of shipping investors and other interested parties by combining the submitted crew, technical and insurance cost data from all three ship managers to produce the subscription-based index.
Dry-dock costs, amortised over five years to provide a daily USD figure, will also be provided as an addendum to BOI (not included in index calculations).
To begin with, BOI will focus on bulk carriers, covering four key sizes: Capesize, Panamax, Supramax and Handysize. Later, the index will be expanded to tankers and other ship types, with a residual price calculation added by year-end. More
Anglo-Eastern partners with The Baltic Exchange for new OPEX index
BUSINESS
London-based maritime market data organisation The Baltic Exchange recently launched a new quarterly index in conjunction with leading ship managers Anglo-Eastern, Columbia Shipmanagement and Fleet Management, which together manage more than 1,800 vessels between them.
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“I look forward to combining EXMAR’s unique competencies in the LNG space with our crewing and training solutions in order to offer our customers a platform for LNG ship management that carries the same depth and strength as we have in our other tanker segments,” said Anglo-Eastern Executive Chairman Peter Cremers.
Said Nicolas Saverys, Chairman of EXMAR Ship Management: “I am sure that our vast LNG ship management expertise, since 1974, in combination with the global network of Anglo-Eastern will create exciting synergies that will change the third-party LNG ship management game”.
The joint venture, AEX LNG Management, brings together two of the leading names in ship management and LNG ship management, with more than 80 years of combined industry experience.
Based in Singapore, AEX LNG Management will draw on EXMAR’s niche expertise in the LNG sector, while leveraging the systems, resources and global reach of Anglo-Eastern to provide specialist services for the growing LNG carrier market.
Services will include newbuilding planning and supervision, ship management, crewing, and training via Anglo-Eastern’s network of strategically located maritime training centres and state-of-the-art simulators.
Introducing AEX LNG Management
BUSINESS
On September 16, Anglo-Eastern and EXMAR announced the formation of a joint venture dedicated to the newbuilding supervision and vessel management of LNG carriers for third-party owners.
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Boskalis/BKW host crew seminars in Manila
EVENT
This September 4 and August 29, Boskalis hosted two crew seminars with Anglo-Eastern Crew Management Philippines (AECMP) in Manila – one for its offshore fleet and the other for its BKW dredging operations, respectively.
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BOSKALIS OFFSHORE CREW SEMINAR
Over 60 officers attended the offshore crew seminar, which featured sessions led by Boskalis’ Steve Ruyssers and Marcel Huisman, AECMP’s Capt. Deepankar Das and Adel Villacastin, and guest speakers Vera Joy Ban-eg of the STCW Office, Roberto Bautista of the International Operations Group, Valucare’s Armando Macalino, and Dr Saren Roldan of Health Metrics.
Following welcome messages by AECMP Branch Manager Capt. Neeraj Dhingra and Mr Ruyssers, Mr Huisman delivered the owner’s address. This was followed by Ms Ban-eg’s update on developments relating to EMSA/EC, BIMCO and MISMO (which had an onsite helpdesk to offer assistance), plus more, while Mr Bautista presented valuable insights on the 2018 Social Security Act and SSS benefits and contributions.
In the second session, Mr Macalino discussed the benefits of Valucare, while Dr Roldan spoke about the importance of developing healthy habits to develop and monitor one’s own health.
Rounding off the seminar was an interactive safety workshop on Boskalis’ “No Injuries, No Accidents” (NINA) initiative, which saw Capt. Das, Mr Villacastin and both Boskalis representatives provide situational examples followed by discussions on how best to approach these, including smaller facilitated group talks on solutions to identified NINA challenges.
BKW DREDGING CREW SEMINAR
The earlier dredging crew seminar saw a similar turnout of some 70 BKW officers, who were welcomed by Capt. Dhingra and Boskalis’ Peter Wander. Mr Wander and Edgar van Oers, also of Boskalis, spoke about the company, delivering the owner’s
Boskalis’ Steve Ruyssers facilitating one of the breakout groups during the NINA workshop
address, a company overview, business/investment outlook, crewing forecast, training and well-being information, and the underlying message of strong teamwork to the company’s fleet management mission.
Guest speakers included a representative from the Philippines Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), plus Mr Bautista, Mr Macalino and Dr Roldan as per the offshore crew seminar. And as with the latter event, the day ended with an interactive safety workshop on NINA, this time led by Capt. Das and Capt. Anand Dalela of AECMP, Capt. Aalok Sharma and Capt. Himanshu Chopra of Anglo-Eastern’s head office in Hong Kong, and Peter Smits of Federatie.
Both Boskalis crew seminars and NINA workshops were very well received by the attending Filipino officers, who benefitted from the opportunity to learn from and directly interact with owner and ship management representatives, as well as the invited guest speakers.
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Anglo-Eastern Latvia celebrates 15th anniversary with Boskalis heavy-lift crew seminar
EVENT
Boskalis’ annual seminar for Anglo-Eastern officers assigned to its heavy-lift fleet was held in Riga this September 17-18. Around 70 officers from the heavy-lift pool attended the event, which was opened by Oskars Sizass, the recently appointed General Manager of Anglo-Eastern Latvia.
The interactive two-day event covered various topics for discussion as well as workshops. Day one looked at the forthcoming sulphur cap, a reivew of operations, port state control inspections, and a summary of accidents and statistics. Day two was primarily focused on Boskalis’ “No Injuries, No Accdients” initiative, otherwise known as NINA. For better engagement, two NINA workshops were conducted on various aspects of safety, from values and rules to operations and best practices.
Concluding the seminar was a festive evening of cocktails, dinner, live music and dancing in celebration of Anglo-Eastern Latvia’s 15th anniversary. Appreciation awards were also presented at the dinner to a few senior masters in honour of their retirement. Open to all seminar participants and their partners, the evening was an excellent opportunity for everyone to mix, mingle and unwind in an informal setting – a light and relaxed way to cap off an otherwise heavy(-lift) event!
Anglo-Eastern Fleet Director Anand Sharma and Boskalis’ Eugene van Dodeweerd, Director of Fleet Management - Offshore, doing
the honours while Anglo-Eastern Latvia GM Oskars Sizass looks on
Two of the retiring senior masters honoured during the evening’s
festivities by Mr van Dodeweerd
Representatives from Anglo-Eastern Latvia, Hong Kong and Boskalis at the concluding anniversary dinner
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What a gem! Peter Cremers named “Jewel of Shipping”
RECOGNITION
India’s MAREX Media, publisher of The Marex Bulletin, held its annual maritime awards in New Delhi this October 1.
The MAREX Kashti Awards 2019 saw many industry dignitaries turn out to recognise and celebrate contributions to India’s shipping community. The most prestigious of the awards handed out is the Kashti Ratna (“Jewel of Shipping”), which was presented to several industry leaders, including our very own Executive Chairman Peter Cremers.
Awarded for his exemplary contribution to the maritime industry in the field of ship management, Mr Cremers thanked the organisers by pre-recorded video clip, crediting the crew and staff of Anglo-Eastern for our successes.
“The honours should go to the large number of Indian seafarers who have supported the Anglo-Eastern group over the years, with their hard work and dedication to be the backbone of this organisation, turning it into one of the biggest – and probably the best – ship management companies in the world,” he said.
“We would not stand where we stand today without the support of the current 20,000 Indian seafarers on board and ashore, the hundreds of staff in our various offices, and the many generations before them,” he added, describing the Anglo-Eastern team as family, not merely employees.
Collecting the award in Mr Cremers’ absence was Anglo-Eastern’s Maneesh Pradhan, Managing Director of Crewing, India, who received the accolade from guest of honour Mansukhbhai Mandaviya, Union Minister of Shipping.
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AMVER, the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System sponsored by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), is a voluntary computer-based global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange assistance for persons in distress at sea. With AMVER, search and rescue co-ordinators can identify participating ships in the area of distress and divert the most suitable vessel(s) to respond.
Anglo-Eastern has long been a supporter and active participant of the search and rescue reporting system, taking part in numerous AMVER-initiated SAR operations over the years. To recognise such loyalty, the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, in conjunction with the USCG, held a special luncheon and awards ceremony in Hong Kong on August 26.
Guest of honour at the annual event was Beverly Howard, USCG Director of AMVER Maritime Relations, while awards were presented by various dignitaries, including Cdr Paul Sierleja, Naval Liaison Officer of the US Consulate General, Hong Kong and Macau. In honour of our 15 years of AMVER loyalty, Cdr Sierleja awarded Anglo-Eastern with a commemorative plaque, which was received by Executive Director Marcel Liedts.
Anglo-Eastern awarded for 15 years of AMVER support
RECOGNITION
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We regularly feature Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy passing-out ceremonies, but what about the academy itself? In this article, we take a deeper look and ceremony, exploring its decade-long history and journey of growth as it celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
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AEMA: Celebrating 10 years of excellence
IN PROFILE
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Many moons ago, Executive Chairman Peter Cremers had a dream for the group. That dream was to establish a maritime academy of our own, both to raise industry standards and to ensure Anglo-Eastern had a regular stream of the right cadets with the right education, according to our stringent standards. This dream was passionately supported by Capt. Pradeep Chawla, Managing Director of Group QHSE and Training, so together they set out to turn this dream into reality.
In April 2009, after much scouting around in India, the ideal location for a training academy was finally identified. Nestled amongst the rural landscape of Khandpe village in Karjat, surrounded by scenic hills and a river, was the site of a former boarding school. Located two hours by road from Mumbai Airport, the site boasted more than 50 acres of lush greenery and a peaceful environment suited to learning, studying and appreciating nature. The piece of land also came with existing infrastructure, including crenellated peripheral walls, as well as a castle and moat that had been used by the former boarding school director!
Upon securing the site, the next immediate challenge was to set up the academy in time for inspections by the Directorate General of Shipping and Indian Maritime University, before kicking off training for the first batch of deck cadets. In a record three months, through non-stop work like what you would expect at a shipyard, the campus was ready to take in its first batch of 120 Diploma in Nautical Science (DNS) cadets, who had been selected from across India. And that is how, on 1 August 2009, the Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy (AEMA) officially became reality.
From the very beginning, AEMA made its mark, successfully establishing itself as a leading pre-sea maritime institution, with excellent university exit exam results from its first year of operations. This was achieved under the able guidance of Capt. K.N. Deboo and Francis Akkara, both of the Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre (AEMTC), and Capt. K.M. Mistree, the first principal of AEMA, and the academy’s new but dedicated team of faculty and staff.
Continuously looking for new ways to innovate and enhance teaching methodologies, equipment and facilities, the AEMA team conceptualised, built and commissioned training models, labs and workshops that were nothing short of world-class. Over the last ten years, numerous practical training facilities and infrastructure have been added to the ever-evolving academy, which now includes a mooring station, wheelhouse, tanker deck, machine/engine workshop, ballast water plant, firefighting zone, painting section, navigation simulators and virtual reality, plus more.
In February 2010, AEMA took the next big step, with the launch of a 12-month Graduate Mechanical Engineering (GME) programme, comprising eight months of onshore learning and four months of apprenticeship at sea on board one of Anglo-Eastern’s managed vessels. The addition of a third Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) programme in July 2012 was another notable milestone that served to complete AEMA’s offerings, which now comprised the three core fields of DNS, GME and ETO.
Since then, AEMA has gone from strength to strength, winning praise and recognition from government authorities, the maritime industry, and ship owners. It is one of the more difficult maritime academies to be accepted into, due to strict intake requirements, but once in, cadets are ensured a disciplined education of the highest standards, as well as subsequent employment within the Anglo-Eastern fleet, which is another unique ‘selling point’.
The academy now teaches an impressive 480 cadets per year, which is four times the number of cadets when it first started out. Currently, AEMA is headed up by Principal Capt. Sureen Narang, whose emphasis on training innovation and effective knowledge and skills transfer has resulted in AEMA being awarded such titles as “Best Training Institute” by numerous organisations. Just
recently, on September 27, AEMA was named Maritime Institution of the Year at The 2019 Gateway Awards in Mumbai, while last year the academy picked up India’s Confederation of Education Excellence award for academic excellence.
The strength of AEMA lies in its core beliefs. At the academy, education goes beyond classroom instruction, hands-on learning, and even apprenticeships. An AEMA education is one that also embraces personal development, from building soft skills to cultivating the right attitude, work ethic, character and values to succeed both on the job and in life generally. This extends to instilling a ‘safety first’ mindset, as well as respect for others and the environment. Imparting such learnings are a faculty largely drawn from the ranks of Anglo-Eastern, who understand our company culture, work standards and values. Many have sailed on Anglo-Eastern vessels with great distinction, and for them it is an honour to be able to pass on their knowledge and experiences to future generations of seafarers. Bolstered by praise and appreciation received from ship owners, managers and other dignitaries during campus visits, the AEMA team is always motivated to learn and do more themselves. Even alumni and supervising officers of
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cadet apprentices are encouraged to give back though the academy’s ongoing open feedback system, which in turn serves to close the training gap.
The reciprocal relationship is also encouraged when it comes to local communities and the environment. Just as we take from and impose ourselves upon these two facets of our surroundings, we must do our part to return, reduce, reuse, recycle and engage to minimise and maximise our impact where it makes a difference. This thinking and the concept of sustainable development has been a priority at AEMA since its inception, born out of necessity and underlying values.
As a standalone institution in the countryside, AEMA is very much dependent on both its surroundings and ability to be self-sufficient. Local residents in nearby villages are a source of loyal staff for the academy, many of whom have grown with AEMA over the years, benefitting from steady employment, income, medical, education and more. On the green front, which also relates to self-sufficiency, AEMA established its own biogas plant, sewage treatment facility, rainwater harvesting and tree plantation. Coupled with reducing, recycling and repurposing initiatives, community clean-ups, and ‘green’ competitions, the cadets are sensitised towards environmental issues on a daily basis.
Growth and development often come at a cost, but at AEMA, that development has been built around the natural environment and in partnership with the local communities, which is something the academy and its cadets take great pride in. Looking forward, the academy will soon be stepping up its green efforts with the installation of a 100 kVA solar grid for power generation, after successfully trialling a 2 kVA pilot panel, not to mention many other great initiatives in the works.
As AEMA celebrates a decade of excellence this year, the next ‘reality’ for the academy is just around the corner, which is to have the first AEMA alumni serving on board vessels as masters and chief engineers. With more than 3,800 students having passed through the academy since its inception ten years ago, and a growing number reaching the second highest rank both above and below deck, it is only a matter of time before this is achieved. Indeed, two AEMA alumni, C/O Shabaz Qureshi and 2/E Joel Barboza, are already certified, having passed their final examinations this October and March, respectively, so only await further shipboard experience before promotion.
Until then, AEMA is all set to leap into its second decade of training and innovation, with a focus on using evolving computer and information technologies in preparedness for a more digitalised maritime future and tomorrow’s seafarers.
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AEMA in numbers DidyouknowthattheAnglo-EasternMaritimeAcademy:• has been rated an A+ institution for the past 5 consecutive years in
CIP audits• offers 3coremaritimeprogrammes:DiplomainNauticalScience(DNS)sinceAugust2009,GraduateMechanicalEngineering(GME)sinceFebruary2010,andElectro-TechnicalOfficer(ETO)sinceJuly2012
• had only 120studentsinitsfirstyearversusmorethan400 students in 2019
• has educated over 3,800studentssinceitsinceptionin2009,includingaround 2,300 DNS cadets, 1,500 GME cadets, and 330 ETOs
• is an inclusive institution that equally welcomes both male and female cadets of the same standing, with more female cadets drawn to and accepted by the DNS programme in recent years
• employs 20facultymembersfromamarinebackground,manybeingformer Anglo-Eastern crew and/or trainers
• facultyexperiencecoversmorethan200 years in shipping, and over 100 years in teaching
• faculty members have authored/compiled and published more than 10books
• possessesextensivetrainingfacilities,including16 simulators, 6 virtual realitystations,andunlikeanyotherinstitution,3workingballastwatertreatment plants for training
• provides employment to more than 100 villagers living within a 10kmradius
• covers 50 acres, of which 20%iscoveredbylakewaterandanother20% by developed gardens
• is home to over 100 different plant and tree species, both endemic and introduced
• produces around 50kgofdryleavesandothergardenwasteeachdayfor composting
• has a biogas plant that uses food waste to produce around 1-3 m3 of methane per day (depending on the input load), which is returned to thekitchenascookingfuel
• manages 60,000 litres of recycled water daily via its sewage treatment plant
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This year, Anglo-Eastern Ukraine is honoured to celebrate a decade of proudly serving the Ukrainian maritime community.
Anglo-Eastern Ukraine celebrates 10th anniversary
CELEBRATION
Founded on 1 September 2009 in the Black Sea port of Odessa, Anglo-Eastern Ukraine started with just seven employees and a few dozen senior officers employed for Anglo-Eastern’s India operations. Today, the Odessa branch has three times the number of staff and over a thousand active officers and ratings serving on board some one hundred vessels across the Anglo-Eastern fleet.
“One of Anglo-Eastern’s mottos is ‘Setting the standard’, which Anglo-Eastern Ukraine takes great inspiration from. We never stop improving and developing, and by ‘we’ I mean both our shore staff and seafarers. Anglo-Eastern standards are amongst the highest in the industry, and we are committed to maintaining them at every level,” said Capt. Oleg Lukyanchenko, Director of Anglo-Eastern Ukraine.
Central to this drive for continuous improvement is training, for which Anglo-
Eastern Ukraine is well recognised in the region. As the site of one of several strategically located Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centres (AEMTCs), the Odessa branch is all about learning and development.
From humble beginnings, starting with just two course offerings on port state control and crew safety in 2009 to more than 50 course offerings today, covering a broad range of maritime topics, AEMTC Ukraine has come a long way and made tremendous progress on the training front. Occupying two floors, the centre is equipped with state-of-the-art simulators and virtual reality facilities to ensure the best training possible.
“In 2018 alone, almost 3,000 seafarers received their training certificates from our training centre,” said Capt. Andriy Boyko, Head of AEMTC Ukraine. “This
Some of the Anglo-Eastern Ukraine management team (L-R): Ulyana Lyeshukova, Anna Klymets, Maya Parashchuk, Vladimir Katuna, Capt. Andriy Boyko and Capt. Oleg Lukyanchenko
praise and recognition for its contributions, including various accolades and titles. Notably, Anglo-Eastern Ukraine is a four-time winner of the National Industry Leadership Award and a two-time winner of the Best Maritime Training Award.
“Over the past ten years, we have been generously given
the necessary leadership, guidance and support from Anglo-Eastern’s head office in order to flourish, whilst
enjoying strong co-operation with the other branches
and training centres within the group. We are truly grateful for that. The
significance of such ‘One Team’ spirit and engagement cannot be overstated,” said Capt. Lukyanchenko.
In honour of the occasion, a celebratory dinner was held for the Anglo-Eastern Ukraine team. Happy anniversary and congratulations!
includes Basic and Advanced Training for Ships Operating in Polar Waters – a unique course that only one other training centre in Ukraine is licensed to offer.”
The Odessa branch has also had much success with its cadet programme, which was launched back in 2010. Each year, around 100 young seafarers are selected to take part in the programme, which sees them receive onboard training via Anglo-Eastern managed ships owned by such participating partners as Bocimar, Fednav and EBE. Proof of its success can be seen by the career progression of former cadets within the Anglo-Eastern fleet, many of whom are currently serving as masters/chief officers and chief engineers/second officers.
After a decade of remarkable performance in the Ukrainian maritime sector, Anglo-Eastern Ukraine has become one of the undisputed leaders in its field, receiving
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On Saturday, August 31, the Anglo-Eastern Crew Management Philippines (AECMP) office in Manila organised an offsite for employees and representatives of Boskalis, who had flown in to host seminars for their Anglo-Eastern crew. Participants met at the office very early in the morning for the long bus journey to Camaya Coast, which is located across the bay from the hustle and bustle of busy Manila on the furthermost tip of the peninsula.
AECMP Manila goesHawaiian for BBQ beach party
EVENT
Arriving around lunchtime, attendees first posed for group photos on the beach before enjoying lunch and a couple of hours of free time until the evening’s programme of fun, team games and social activities. The Hawaiian-themed barbeque beach party was the highlight of the offsite, which of course was not complete without live music, singing, dancing and prizes.After a morale-boosting evening of team
bonding and fun, everyone awoke fresh and in high spirits for breakfast the next morning, before enjoying some additional free time ahead of the return bus journey back to Manila. The opportunity to interact with colleagues and owner representatives outside of work and away from the city was much appreciated by all. Aloha!
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Anglo-Eastern’s largest cadet ‘programme’ is by far the Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy (AEMA) in Karjat, India (see p. 16), which takes in more than 400 students each year. But what may come as news to some is that AEMA is not our only cadet initiative. Also offering cadetships are our offices in the Philippines, Ukraine (as mentioned on p. 19), and the UK.
Anglo-Eastern UK (AEUK), which specialises in offshore vessel management out of its base in Glasgow, operates its own cadet programme in conjunction with participating clients (DAO Shipping, DOF, Mountpark and Subsea 7) and several
The Anglo-Eastern UK cadet programme is a small but quality initiative that gets results, and the proof is in the pudding, with several students recently winning awards for demonstrating academic/training excellence and role model behaviours.
AEUK student cadets sweep awards for academic/training excellence
RECOGNITION
nautical colleges throughout the UK. Each applicant is carefully screened and selected by AEUK, then assigned to one of the participating colleges and client fleets. Costs are covered by the client sponsor and a government fund for eligible applicants, with AEUK in charge of all co-ordination, administration, pastoral care and progress monitoring/reporting, etc.
Around 50 students are currently enrolled in the AEUK cadet programme – a far cry from the 400+ students enrolled in AEMA annually, but it’s not always about quantity! Indeed, at the University of the Highlands and Islands’ (UHI) NAFC Marine Centre
Awards on October 2, three of the 14 student winners impressively hailed from the AEUK cadet programme: Huw Baxter, Jack Tate and Alasdair Bendall.
Taking the NAFC UHI Higher Education Student of the Year Award for completing his cadetship with distinction was Huw Baxter, while Jack Tate was awarded the Bells Nautical Trust Prize for demonstrating outstanding effort and achievement in his final year. Conversely, cadet-in-training Alasdair Bendall was presented with the NAFC UHI Further Education Student of the Year Award for demonstrating excellence in his first year of training. Alasdair was also separately awarded the Nautical Institute Prize.
At the time of writing, Huw and Jack were in the process of formally joining their sponsor, DAO Shipping, via AEUK. Both recently qualified as Deck Officers of the Watch (Unlimited), after spending 14 months on board DAO vessels and passing their Maritime and Coastguard Agency
(MCA) exams in their first sitting. Alastair is presently a Phase 3 deck cadet, having commenced his training in September 2018 and served his first six months at sea, also on board a DAO vessel.
In addition to the above, earlier this year, two Subsea 7-sponsored engine cadets from the AEUK programme were presented with prizes at Warsash Maritime Academy’s summer graduation dinner. Finley Larter was named Marine Engineer of the Year for performing to the highest standard throughout the duration of his cadetship, while Daniel Began was awarded the Isambard Engineering Cup for promoting excellence in engineering practices.
Well done and congratulations to all of the above winners for demonstrating training and academic excellence as well as role model behaviours, and to the staff, clients and nautical colleges behind the modest but successful AEUK cadet programme. Proof that sometimes less can be more! #SeafarersWithPassion
Jack TateHuw Baxter Alasdair Bendall
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“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.” So goes the quote attributed to author Stephen King on the topic of book writing. For 3/O Aneesh Gokhale, 3/E Nyari Nain and Capt. Irfan Razack, they were indeed brave enough to start, but more than that, they had the drive and commitment to persevere and finish, get published, and see their works in print. #SeafarersWithPassion
CREW FOCUS A career in the merchant navy lends itself well to many hobbies, including those of a literary nature. Long rest periods at sea and even longer downtimes on land in between assignments equals ample free time for self-reflection and inspiration, for imaginations to run wild, and for narratives to take shape.
For many, that is as far as it goes. For others, the leap from ideas and thoughts to pen and paper (or keyboard and screen) is a natural calling, and so it is not surprising to find that amongst a crew pool of some 27,000+ seafarers, Anglo-Eastern has a number of authors amongst its ranks.
3/E Nyari Nain
The ‘Write’ Stuff: Introducing Anglo-Eastern’s seafaring literary talent
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We already have many published technical authors at Anglo-Eastern, as can be seen amongst the ex-seafaring faculty at the Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre and Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy. But what about published non-technical or fiction authors? As it turns out, we have a few of those, too!
Three, in particular, come immediately to mind: historical feature writer and novelist 3/O Aneesh Gokhale, and fiction authors 3/E Nyari Nain and Capt. Irfan Razack.
ANEESH GOKHALEOf the three, Aneesh Gokhale, who has been sailing with Anglo-Eastern since 2012 and is currently serving as Third Officer on board the bulk carrier AM Tubarao, is the
most established. He has written numerous historical columns and articles for various publications, including DNA India, and is also the author of two historical novels: Sahyadris to Hindukush: The Maratha Conquest of Lahore and Attock (2012, Snehavardhan Publishing House), and Brahmaputra: The Story of Lachit Barphukan - Assamese Contemporary of Chhatrapati Shivaji (2015, Shree Vyankatesh Prakashan).
An avid Indian history buff, Mr Gokhale developed his passion for the past through exploring the Sahyadri mountain range in Maharashtra, where there are a number of ancient hilltop forts. What
started out as simple background reading on the origins of these rugged fortresses quickly turned into a two-year research project into the area’s history and its major players, which culminated in Sahyadris to Hindukush – his first book at age 21.
“I’ve been an avid trekker and hiker since my teenage years. Exploring the hill forts of the Sahyadris, which are steeped in history, was a regular pastime,” says Mr Gokhale. “This created a love for Maratha history – the medieval history of my state, Maharashtra. Coupled with my liking for reading, this opened up a whole
new world to me, which led to me trying my hand at writing a book on some of the lesser known episodes of 18th century India.”
Sahyadris to Hindukush is not a history textbook for the classroom, but rather a historical novel that seamlessly blends history and fiction for an engaging read set in another time. “I wanted the book to read like an interesting novel, not a boring history book. While all events described in the book actually happened over two decades since 1740, I used some artistic licence to
dramatise and make them more interesting for lay readers,” he explains.
While the aim of his first book was “to bring alive the life and times of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century, charting the rise of the mighty Maratha Empire, complete with its grimy politics and stories of defeat, betrayal, inspiration and victory,” his second historical novel, Brahmaputra, was inspired by the valour of the medieval age commander Lachit Barphukan, who Mr Gokhale hails as India’s unsung hero. Set in 17th century Assam, India, it chronicles the victory of the Ahom Dynasty against the mighty Mughal Empire.
NYARI NAINMoving away from terra firma and eras long gone by are a couple of purely fiction
works set on the high seas of today, as penned by Anglo-Eastern’s two other published crew authors of which Nyari Nain is one. With the group since 2013 and currently serving as Third Engineer on board the bulk carrier Genco Commodus, Ms Nain is the author of Anchor My Heart (Dec 2018, HarperCollins India), a 184-page romance novel featuring a strong female protagonist, much like herself. (Incidentally, for those wondering, that is not Ms Nain on the book cover!)
“As fourth engineer on board the MV Orchid, Lehar Saxena has no time to prissy up in front of a mirror or flirt with the boys. Her chief engineer hates her guts, and much like the MV Orchid, which she
helps keep afloat on the journey across the violent and pirate-infested high seas, she has her own baggage: heavy with anxiety, stress and love woes,” reads the titillating synopsis.
“Amidst the machines, sweat and testosterone surrounding her, loom thoughts of her relationship with Sameer, always too
busy at the OPD to FaceTime or even text as much as he used to. With a long-distance relationship fast approaching the maelstrom it was destined for, Lehar must focus on her work – even as Veer, the handsome second officer who recently joined the crew – proves to be a pleasant distraction. He may be just what she needs as the journey grows even longer, and far more dangerous.”
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Her first and only book to date, Ms Nain penned Anchor My Heart in a record one month’s time, having already formulated the idea and narrative in her mind during one of her early ship assignments, and as a therapeutic way to address her frustrations of not always being taken seriously as a result of her gender in what is still very much a male-dominated field and industry.
“The inner frustration compelled me to vent it out, and what better way than speaking to yourself in a book on board a solitary ship,” she says. “I completed the book in just one month, as I had it all pent up inside and just needed a pen and paper to let it out. I had always wanted to portray a strong female, and additionally to let the world know what all seafarers sacrifice, completely unsung.”
IRFAN RAZACKAnglo-Eastern’s third published fiction author commenced his literary career much later in life than Mr Gokhale and Ms Nain. Capt. Irfan Razack, who has sailed with both Denholm and Anglo-Eastern for nearly 30 years, most recently as Master of the bulk carrier Ore Korea, took up writing seriously in his early 50s so that he could tick it off his proverbial bucket list. The fruit of his efforts was Oh no, Captain! (Feb 2019, Notion Press), published around his 58th birthday.
“I always wanted to author a book. It took me around six months to write Oh no, Captain! which was put in cold storage for about 18 months. However, a chance reading about a publisher [Notion Press] in an airport newspaper, and with gentle prodding from my family, helped me to take the next step in publishing the book,” recounts Capt. Razack.
“The book is about a merchant navy captain who goes through life quietly, without much splash, just a few ripples here and there. It is pure fiction, pinching an idea or two from real life experiences. As there are not many books on the merchant navy, I thought it would be a good idea to write
something about us sailors, as I still find landlubbers are not very aware about seamen.”
Oh no, Captain! draws on Capt. Razack’s wealth of experience and observations gleaned from a lifetime at sea to offer an intimate portrayal of the fictional Capt. Mangla Bhoot, following the ups and downs of his life, which is loosely divided into two parts: his life up to and including his career at sea, and his subsequent career and years ashore. “The
book is more about his personal and family life, rather than his professional life. It’s about life’s upheavals [of which Capt. Bhoot faces two major ones] and how he deals with them,” elaborates Capt. Razack.
While all three book genres may be quite different, what does tie our three crew authors together besides Anglo-Eastern is an affinity for the sea, a passion for reading and writing, and the ability to express oneself, often from a young age.
“Reading and later interpreting and expressing through writing has been a hobby of mine since childhood,” says Mr Gokhale. “My first short story was written when I was in school. Since then, I have tried to keep in touch with this medium of expression.”
Likewise, Ms Nain has been writing since she was ten years old. “People were always spellbound by my style of writing and class oration. But the idea of writing a book didn’t dawn upon me until after I started
my engineering studies, only becoming a reality following one of my earlier ship assignments,” she says.
Though Capt. Razack did not take to writing until much later in life, he has long enjoyed reading. “I have always been an avid reader, for as long as I can remember,” he says, “especially about things that interest me, like sports and science.”
In terms of future works, Mr Gokhale already has two defined projects in the pipeline: one is a compilation book comprising more than 60 previously written/published articles on lesser known aspects of Indian history, while the other is a medieval historical novel about the Indian state of Orissa on the subcontinent’s east coast.
Spurred on by the positive reviews and success of her first book, which saw her presented with a “Great Achievement Award” by India’s Directorate General of Shipping in June, Ms Nain has also made significant headway on her second effort, which is about “hijacking on the high seas against a backdrop of conspiracies”. There is also demand for a continuation of Anchor My Heart, she added, which that could well be the basis of her third novel.
Bitten by the writing bug, Capt. Razack is similarly keen to put out another book in the near future and has already given the idea considerable thought. His second literary endeavor, though still in its infancy, already has a working title (“Pigeon Talks”) and a conceptual narrative relating to such existential themes as life, death and karma.
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With at least one book under their belts and more in the pipeline, what advice do our authors have for those budding writers amongst us, and what challenges can they expect to deal with in their quest to write a book, get published, and see it in print? Below are seven invaluable tips from those who have been there and done that:
• Just start. “To all those aspiring to write and also to those struggling to achieve, just start,” says Ms Nain. “That’s the toughest part. For me, there’s no such thing as do nothing. I dream and I try to make it real, come what may.”
• Stay the course and finish it. “My advice to new writers would be that once they have begun a book, they should stay the course and finish it,” says Mr Gokhale. To help in this regard, he recommends setting achievable targets. “I would suggest setting practical and realistic goals, like aiming to complete a chapter each month, setting a deadline to complete the book, etc. The process can be quite stressful at times, but being committed to your goals and finishing the book – so that you can say ‘this is my book’ – will give you a sense of accomplishment that is unmatched.”
• Be fluid in your approach. “I believe the biggest challenge was in expanding a small idea into a 200-page book,” says Mr Gokhale. “I faced writer’s block when I tried to write in a linear fashion, completing one chapter before moving onto the next. To counter it, I completed sections as and when I thought I had the best ideas for them, then weaved everything into a full, balanced story.”
• Immerse yourself. “Obtaining reference material, especially for my second book, was a challenge,” admits Mr Gokhale. “So I chose to pay a visit and spend some time at the historical locations in order to gain a better understanding of the culture and geographical conditions. This helped me immensely in visualising the events during those times, which in turn helped make the story more reader-friendly.”
• Find the right publisher. For Capt. Razack, finding a publisher was not too difficult. “There are some publishers out there who are on the lookout for new authors,” he says. But this is more the exception than the rule, and can have a lot to do with how niche your book topic is. “I had to spend many days trudging from one publisher to another offering my manuscript for publication,” recalls Mr Gokhale. Ms Nain also admits it was not the easiest, having approached many of the top publishing houses. “The biggest challenge was to get published, especially under a renowned name like HarperCollins India,” she says.
• Be patient. “Renowned publishing houses can have different and somewhat time-consuming processes. For example,
they may require that the manuscript be vetted through an agency,” says Mr Gokhale, adding that this could delay publishing by up to a year or more in some cases. For Ms Nain, the process was both quick and slow. “HarperCollins India responded within five days of my submission,” she says, “but it took around one year for the paperback to come out, partly because I was at sea, so the release had to be delayed.”
• “Follow your heart.” At the end of the day, these three words of advice form Capt. Razack’s main take-away from his experience as a latecomer to the literary elite. No matter one’s age or stage in life, whether it be younger or older, if you have the passion and desire, then go for it. Which takes us neatly back to Tip 1: Just start.
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Congratulations to 3/O Aneesh Gokhale, 3/E Nyari Nain and Capt. Irfan Razack on their successful book writing and publishing endeavours, and many thanks to them for sharing their stories and advice with us. We look forward to seeing more of their books in future, not to mention from other crew and staff members, as there must surely be more budding authors amongst us. Perhaps this feature story can serve as inspiration for others!
Writing tips
FURTHER INFORMATION
• AneeshGokhale https://aneeshbooks.com• Nyari Nain https://harpercollins.co.in/book/anchor-my-heart• IrfanRazack https://notionpress.com/read/oh-no-captain
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Anglo-Eastern Singapore was one of 30 industry teams participating in the Mariners’ Premier League, which is reportedly the largest gathering of seafarers for a cricket tournament outside of India (Mumbai holds the world title). Held over the weekend of August 17-18, this year’s tournament attracted over 400 seafarers from various countries around the world and just as many spectators to join in the “carnival atmosphere”.
Playing for Anglo-Eastern in the 15-team Corporate Cup division, which is only open to company players, were Alexander Rodrigues, Amit Chaudhary, Andrew Curran, Anupam Mittal, Gogol Bose, Gursharan Mann, Rajeev Salwan, Sanjeev Checkoora, Tirtha Chattaraj and Yatish Malhotra, under the captaincy of Sujit Sarangi.
Anglo-Eastern played very well, advancing to the finals, which saw them pitted against Maersk Lines in a battle for the cup. A strong game was played, but in the end Maersk caught up and pulled ahead to claim the top prize, with Anglo-Eastern nevertheless proudly finishing in a very respectable second place to win the silver cup. Congratulations!
In related news, Anglo-Eastern Singapore also regularly plays in Seasoned Pro30, a running league competition comprising 16 corporate teams. On July 27, perhaps buoyed on by the World Cup and in anticipation of the Mariners’ Premier League, Anupam Mittal scored what is known as a ‘century’ with an impressive 106 runs in 58 balls, making him the first-ever player from the Anglo Boyz (as the team is known) to achieve this rare batsman feat.
ICC Cricket World Cup fever gripped Anglo-Eastern cricket enthusiasts over the summer. Luckily, they had a few outlets to channel their excitement and energy, one being the Mariners’ Premier League in Singapore, which is an annual six-a-side cricket tournament organised by the local Mariners’ Cricket Club.
Cricket fever grips Anglo-Eastern
COMPETITION
Anglo-Eastern Hong Kong’s “Dus Ka Dum” (Power of 10) cricket team
Anglo-Eastern Singapore, proud silver cup winners at this year’s Mariners’ Premier League (Corporate Cup division)
Man of the Match: Diamond Anglo’s century-scoring Anupam Mittal (left)
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The team was playing against the All Rounders CC at the time, and with such a spectacular boost to their score and strong play by the rest of the team, the All Rounders were never able to catch up to the Anglo Boyz, who won by 86 runs with a high score of 298/7 versus 212/9. Coupled with some excellent bowling, Anupam Mittal was rightfully named Man of the Match in a victory match worth remembering. Well done!
Hong Kong also saw some cricket action with the six-team “Dus Ka Dum” (Power of 10) tournament over the weekend of July 6-7. Playing for Anglo-Eastern were Amit Nauhwar, Angshujit Sinha, Kapil Kharkwal, Mandar Pendse, Nilesh Kambli, Rahul Tonapi, Vineet Kumar and Viswanathan Ramasubramani, under the captaincy of Somasundar Nair.
Anglo-Eastern’s first match saw the team enjoy a comfortable victory over the Sarjan Spartans, with a score of 141 runs and 2 wicket losses, which was the highest score by any one team in the tournament. The second match was another easy win, pushing Anglo-Eastern to the top of Pool B and qualifying the team for the semi-finals the following day.
A loss of key players due to work obligations, however, made the second day a challenge, and in the end Anglo-Eastern was unable to hold onto its lead. But just as it’s sometimes the journey that matters more than the destination, sometimes it’s how you play the game that matters more than winning, and in that regard Anglo-Eastern proved to be a winner regardless.
Last but not least, as proof of cricket’s immense popularity and ability to transcend even terra firma, a cricket match was held on board the MV Cisnes while at sea. Most of the container ship’s crew took part in the September 7 match, which was organised as part of ongoing National Sports Day activities.
“Since we were coasting at the time, we decided to organise the match while at mid-sea. It was a time full of fun and enjoyment,” reports Capt. Kumaresh Shanmuga Sundaram, who we would like to thank for the photo of his smartly kitted out crew. Well played!
Anglo-Eastern Singapore’s “Anglo Boyz” line-up for Seasoned Pro30
Looking sharp: Crew of the MV Cisnes kitted out in their smart cricket gear
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For those who don’t know, dragon boating is a traditional Chinese water sport performed primarily for Tuen Ng Festival, which is held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. This year’s festival fell on June 7, and as per custom, numerous dragon boat competitions were held across the territory on the day and in the period following, with the Stanley Main Beach event amongst the most well-known.
The dragon boat itself is a long, narrow vessel, typically capable of seating up to 22 persons. Each row is designed to accommodate two paddlers (up to a total of 20), who are each equipped with a paddle that is meant to be drawn through the water in a near-vertical position at right angles to the boat. At the very back sits the steersman, while the front is reserved for the drummer. On the day of the festival, a dragon’s head and tail is affixed to the boat, lending it its name.
In the Stanley competition, boat crews are capped a little lower at 20 members: 12-18 paddlers, one steersman (nearly always hired), and one drummer (optional). Mixed teams must also ensure that 8-12 of its paddlers are women to avoid disqualification.
As a team in the Mixed Corporate division, the Anglo-Eastern Paddle Busters fulfilled all requirements, and then some, with a final line-up comprising Vikrant Malhotra as team captain, Melissa Otto as team co-ordinator, and fellow paddlers Amit Nauhwar, Anshul Gupta, Ashish Chopra, Bella Ma, Daisy Yau, Dia Khianey, Irene Ma, Jodie Ip, Karan Madan, Mayur Khaneja, Peggy Li, Satvir Chahar, Shrinath Hegde,
This summer, the Hong Kong office entered its first-ever dragon boat competition with the debut of the Anglo-Eastern Paddle Busters. The mixed team, comprising over 20+ shore staff from various departments, joined the highly popular Sun Life Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships, which attracts numerous corporate, college and private team entrants in the various race divisions each year.
Anglo-Eastern shore staff take to the water
COMPETITION
Hong Kong: The Anglo-Eastern Paddle Busters during a rare break from dragon boat training under Coach Kenneth (in white)
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Swapnodeep Mondal, Tierra Tse, Tiffany Chiu, Vicky Chung, Vishal Singhal and Yanni Lau, with Flora Wan as drummer.
Training was intense, taking place most Sunday mornings from the end of March until early June, with each coached session lasting two hours on the water without break. But the tough training was well worth it! On the day of the competition, the Anglo-Eastern Paddle Busters easily made the cut for the Mixed Silver Bowl, finishing eighth overall in what was an extremely close race, where seconds and milliseconds made all the difference. Well done for a first-time effort! And many thanks to Coach Kenneth (“Ken Sir”) for the awesome training (remember, DHL!).
Meanwhile, over in Germany, our Hamburg shore staff enjoyed an afternoon
of dragon boating and barbequing on August 8. Two dragon boats were hired for some leisurely paddling down and around the city’s Alster River, before returning to land for a barbeque in the early evening. Fortunately the weather held out for the staff outing, which saw more than 35 employees join in the fun team-bonding event.
Over and up to Latvia, our Riga shore staff also took to the water in August, but not in dragon boats. Instead, the team decided to give stand-up paddle (SUP) boarding a go. For some, this was their first time, so the experience proved challenging, as SUP boarding requires balance and control. But with a can-do, ‘try, try again’ attitude, anything is possible, and the main point is to have fun – and that the team most certainly did!
Germany: Even our Hamburg office decided to go dragon boating as part of a staff outingHong Kong: “Paddles up!”
Latvia: WasSUP? For our Riga office, that would be stand-up paddle boarding!
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Fednav celebrates 75 years of delivering a higher standard and navigating complexity
CELEBRATION
The year 2019 has been a crowning moment for Fednav, its employees, and even its business partners.
exclaimed Paul Pathy, President and CEO of Fednav, emphasising the city’s importance.
Internally, Fednav Chairman Laurence Pathy hosted several enlightening sessions with past and present members of management aimed at educating current generations of employees about Fednav’s contributions over the decades to the shipping industry of the Great Lakes and Arctic, and in terms of the various services offered by Fednav over its 75-year history.
Looking outwards and ahead, Paul Pathy gave several media interviews, in addition
to delivering a talk to a sold-out audience at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, which was very well received by the many local business leaders in attendance.
As a long-time partner of Fednav for 25 years, and with over 60 Fednav vessels under our full technical management (a good number of which were also newbuilding supervisions), Anglo-Eastern is proud to be a part of Fednav’s 75th anniversary celebrations. We look forward to celebrating many more milestones together, whilst jointly navigating complexity with Fednav in the years ahead. Congratulations!
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It has been a year filled with special events, speaking engagements, ship-naming ceremonies, new branding, and worldwide celebrations in honour of its 75th anniversary.
Celebrations commenced earlier in the year, on March 26, with Fednav’s inauguration of the 61st season of the St Lawrence Seaway. The occasion was marked by sailing the Anglo-Eastern managed and crewed MV Federal Kumano through St-Lambert Lock.
At the onsite ceremony, in the presence of many dignitaries, local clients, proud employees and crew, Fednav launched its 75th anniversary celebrations alongside its bold new branding, as displayed on the Federal Kumano’s accommodation and funnel, and on the company’s revamped website. A new slogan was also unveiled: Navigating Complexity.
Since then, Fednav has held reception celebrations at each of its international offices, and had several features published
in various publications. Furthermore, two newbuildings, both of which were supervised by Anglo-Eastern Technical Services, were launched at Oshima Shipyard
in Japan. The MV Federal St Laurent and MV Federal Montreal, both
christened with names of historical and/or geographical significance, were proudly inducted into the Anglo-Eastern fleet over the summer.
The Federal St Laurent is the fourth Fednav vessel to be named
as such, underlining the company’s strong bond and special ties to the strategic St Lawrence River, or St-Laurent in French, and its maritime community. The St Lawrence River, for those who are not familiar, forms one of the world’s largest water systems and is the only waterway that connects North America’s Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
Conversely, the Federal Montreal represents the first time in Fednav’s history that a ship was not named after a waterway, instead taking its moniker from the city that Fednav has proudly called home since 1953. “From Montreal, Fednav covers the world,”
Did you know? FoundedbythePathyfamilyinTorontoin1944,originallyastheFederalCommerce&NavigationCompanyLimited,FednavmovedtoMontrealin1953,sincewhichtimeithasgrowntobecomeCanada’slargestinternationalbulkshippinggroup.Fednavownsover60bulkcarriersandoperatesafleetofmorethan100vesselsworldwide,includingthelargestfleetofGreatLakes-suitableoceangoingships,theworld’slargestfleetofice-classbulkcarriers,andthree ice-breakingcargovesselsthatservicetheArctic12monthsayear. Additionally, Fednav operates 11 terminals in North America.
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MV Nunavik gains first Ukrainian master
RECOGNITION
Capt. Roman Krasyuk’s promotion from Chief Officer to Master of the PC4-designated MV Nunavik is an ice-breaking milestone for Anglo-Eastern’s Ukrainian seafarers.
At first glance, the Anglo-Eastern managed MV Nunavik may look like any other regular bulk carrier. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that this is no ordinary vessel, but rather a very special ship in a class of her own: Polar Class, that is.
As a rare Polar Class 4 vessel, the Nunavik is uniquely designed to break through sheets of ice up to 1.5 metres thick. It is one of only three polar-class vessels
presently owned and operated by Fednav in the oft-frozen waterways north of Canada, and one of two managed by Anglo-Eastern via the Montreal office, the other being Fednav’s MV Arctic.
Another special characteristic of the Nunavik is its flexible cargo-handling capabilities. The 25k-dwt handysize bulker is what is known as an OBO (ore-bulk-oil) carrier, designed to carry most major cargo
types, from bulk and general to container and even diesel oil.
Adding to the unique qualities of the Nunavik is this year’s promotion of its chief officer Roman Krasyuk, making him the first-ever Ukrainian to proudly captain the Nunavik, and indeed any polar-class vessel within the Anglo-Eastern fleet. Not only was this a highlight for Capt. Krasyuk and his distinguished career, but for the entire team in the Odessa office, through which he joined Anglo-Eastern as an experienced chief officer back in 2011.
By no means a stranger to the Nunavik, Capt. Krasyuk first set foot upon her decks a good five years ago when she was still fresh from the shipyard. “My first voyage was in winter, and to be utterly honest, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to rejoin the Nunavik because of the extreme cold we had to cope with,” he recalled. “But return I did, year after year, to eventually become her master.”
When asked about his initial reaction upon discovering his promotion, Capt. Krasyuk broke out in a smile, saying how it took him four days to fully comprehend the news. “I was happy and excited. There are very few ships like the Nunavik, so being the master of such a legendary vessel is quite an achievement in one’s maritime career,” he explained.
“It is also a great responsibility. When in the Arctic, far away from ‘civilization’, the vessel’s operation depends substantially on our decisions. Moreover, the Arctic is an ecologically sensitive area and we have to exercise extra caution, even in our routine, everyday operations, especially when carrying oil cargo.”
According to Capt. Krasyuk, like himself, around 80% of the Nunavik’s crew members have been with the vessel since 2014, so her crew is tight-knit, well-coordinated and very strong in the teamwork department, both on board as a crew and in terms of ship-shore collaboration.
“We receive continuous support from Anglo-Eastern’s Odessa and Montreal offices, plus Fednav is always there for us, too, responding to any questions or concerns we may have. At these and other times, I do feel that the Nunavik is indeed OUR ship.”
Congratulations to Capt. Krasyuk on his well-deserved promotion, with additional thanks for the amazing photos that show just how truly remarkable the Nunavik really is, being able to navigate through waters that look more like solid land than anything you would expect to find a ship sailing in!
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Welcome to the Anglo-Eastern familyMEET THE FLEET
We take great pride in our growing family and warmly welcome each and every new member that joins us. Below are our most recent new joiners since the last issue until the end of October 2019. Fair winds and following seas!
DATE VESSEL NAME VESSEL TYPE CAPACITY OFFICE MASTER CHIEF ENGINEER OWNER
06-Aug-19 La Luna Bulk carrier, Ultramax 62,594 dwt Antwerp Andrii Moshchanets Dmytro Reznikov EBE29-Aug-19 Federal Montreal Bulk carrier 34,492 dwt Hong Kong Sikander M. Kazi Viresh Kumar Fednav30-Aug-19 Crystal Lavender LPG tanker 5,000 cbm Singapore Reynaldo R. Caburatan Francisco C. Medina Kumiai Navigation11-Sep-19 Denver LPG tanker 60,000 cbm Singapore Sanil S. Crasto Amit K. Das Eastern Pacific Shipping19-Sep-19 Tokyo LPG tanker 60,000 cbm Singapore Rajesh K. Maharana Deu V. Kadam Eastern Pacific Shipping26-Sep-19 CL Century Bulk carrier, Ultramax 60,319 dwt Antwerp Benjie M. Enriquez Alex N. Orejudos Conti-Lines02-Oct-19 True Corsair Bulk carrier, Capesize 181,074 dwt Hong Kong Nazim R. Kapdi Thyagarajan Pandurangan JP Morgan Asset Mgmt10-Oct-19 La Selva Bulk carrier, Ultramax 62,000 dwt Antwerp Ruslan Doroshenko Dmytro V. Plotnikov EBE14-Oct-19 Nordic Masa Tanker 20,819 dwt Hong Kong Ranjan K. Shrivastav Prasad Kakkaendae Enyo Shipping15-Oct-19 Fairchem Tiger Tanker 25,000 dwt Singapore Ajay Kumar Alok Sharma Fairfield17-Oct-19 Fabulous Bulk carrier, Capesize 180,000 dwt Hong Kong Fayyaz A. Kapdi Wijesekara K.N.K. Wijesekara Teh-Hu Cargocean Mgmt17-Oct-19 Helsinki LPG tanker 60,000 cbm Singapore Rishi Kapoor Ravi B.S. Ujlan Eastern Pacific Shipping21-Oct-19 Anavatos Tanker, Aframax 115,459 dwt Hong Kong Sudeep Ghosh Neeraj Agarwal Union Maritime21-Oct-19 Fulmar Tanker, Aframax 115,605 dwt Hong Kong Rakesh Kumar Shanavas K. Masthan Rawther Union Maritime23-Oct-19 Heron Tanker, VLCC 297,363 dwt Hong Kong Baiju Sivanunni Hemkalyan A. Pandit Euronav24-Oct-19 Mineral Yangfan Bulk carrier, Capesize 206,000 dwt Antwerp Sergiy Zamikhovsky Yuriy M. Pedko Bocimar
MT DenverMT Crystal LavenderMV La Luna
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MV FabulousMV Federal Montreal MT Fairchem Tiger
MT HeronMT Anavatos
MV CL Century MV True Corsair
MV La Selva MT Nordic Masa
MV Mineral Yangfan
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